Information providing device, information providing method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An information providing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: at least one memory storing a set of instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the set of instructions to: receive a face image; determine whether a person in the face image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition based on the face image; and output information based on determining that the person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition when the person is determined to be unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.

The present application is a Continuation application of Ser. No.17/278,381 filed on Mar. 22, 2021, which is a National Stage Entry ofPCT/JP2019/036497 filed on Sep. 18, 2019, which claims priority fromJapanese Patent Application 2018-181027 filed on Sep. 26, 2018, thecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference, in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a technique for performing authenticationusing an iris.

BACKGROUND ART

One type of biological authentication (biometrics authentication) isauthentication using an iris.

PTL 1 discloses a biometrics authentication device that executesprocessing including a step for determining a quality of read iris dataand a step for executing collation processing using data with highquality. In the step for determining the quality, a control unit detectsthat a part of the iris data is missing due to an obstacle or the like,the eyes are not sufficiently opened, and the iris is defocused andcannot be confirmed due to a movement of a user when the iris is read,or the like. In a case were the number of times when data with poorquality is acquired or the number of times when collation fails exceedsthe predetermined number of times, a failure of the authentication isnotified to the user. Then, when the user presses a button, a cause ofthe failure of the authentication is displayed by a display unit. Thetechnique in PTL 1 attempts to improve a success rate of theauthentication of the user through such processing.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   [PTL 1] JP 2007-257040 A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

Because the biometrics authentication device described in PTL 1 assumesthat the cause of the failure of the authentication be a cause that canbe resolved, the cause is notified to the user.

However, there is a cause that has a low possibility to be resolved fromamong the causes that data with high quality cannot be acquired. Forexample, in a case where the user is a person who is not able to or hasdifficulty in acquiring data with an appropriate quality, even if thecause is notified to the user, the cause is unlikely to be resolved, andthere is a possibility that a success rate of the authentication of theuser is not improved.

For such a user, even if the device repeatedly attempts to acquire theiris data, the iris data suitable for authentication cannot be acquired.Therefore, the attempt to acquire the iris data goes in vain. Aprocessing time of the device that attempts to acquire the iris data iswasted, and in addition, there is a disadvantage that the user wasteslabor and time.

One object of the example embodiments is to provide a device, a method,or the like that reduces a wasteful behavior, wasteful processing, orthe like that may occur in a scene in which iris data is acquired.

Solution to Problem

An information providing device according to one aspect of the exampleembodiments includes: reception means for receiving a face image,determination means for determining whether a person in the face imageis unsuitable for iris data acquisition on the basis of the face image;and output means for outputting information based on determining thatthe person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition when the personis determined to be unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.

An information providing method according to one aspect of the exampleembodiments includes receiving a face image, determining whether aperson in the face image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition on thebasis of the face image, and outputting information based on determiningthat the person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition in a casewhere it is determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition.

A storage medium according to one aspect of the example embodimentsstores a program causing a computer to execute: reception processing ofreceiving a face image; determination processing of determining whethera person in the face image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition onthe basis of the face image; and output processing of outputtinginformation based on determining that the person is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition in a case where it is determined that the personis unsuitable for the iris data acquisition. One aspect of the exampleembodiments is also achieved by the program.

Advantageous Effects

According to the example embodiments, it is possible to reduce awasteful behavior, wasteful processing, or the like that may occur in ascene in which iris data is acquired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an informationproviding device according to a first example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an information providingmethod according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an iris dataacquisition device according to a second example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing by the iris dataacquisition device according to the second example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware includedin each unit of each example embodiment.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, example embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the drawings.

First Example Embodiment

First, a first example embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an informationproviding device 10 according to the first example embodiment.

The information providing device 10 includes a reception unit 101, adetermination unit 102, and an output unit 103.

The reception unit 101 receives a face image as an input. The face imageis an image of a part of or an entire face of a person including atleast an eye region.

The determination unit 102 determines whether the person in the faceimage is unsuitable for iris data acquisition on the basis of the faceimage received by the reception unit 101. The iris data indicates dataof an iris.

In a case where it is determined that the person in the face image isunsuitable for the acquiring the iris data, the output unit 103 outputsinformation based on the determination that the person in the face imageis unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.

A flow of an operation of the information providing device 10 will bedescribed with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 2 . First, thereception unit 101 receives a face image (step S101).

Next, the determination unit 102 determines whether a person in the faceimage is unsuitable for iris data acquisition on the basis of the faceimage received by the reception unit 101 (step S102).

Then, in a case where it is determined that the person in the face imageis unsuitable for the iris data acquisition, the output unit 103 outputsinformation based on the determination that the person in the face imageis unsuitable for the iris data acquisition (step S103). In a case whereit is not determined that the person in the face image is unsuitable forthe iris data acquisition, the output unit 103 does not output the imageoutput in a case where it is determined that the person in the faceimage is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition. Alternatively, theoutput unit 103 may output information different from the informationoutput in a case where it is determined that the person in the faceimage is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.

According to the information providing device 10, it is possible toreduce a wasteful behavior, wasteful processing, or the like that mayoccur in a scene in which iris data is acquired. This is because, in acase where the person who is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition isin the face image, the determination unit 102 determines that the personis a person who is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition. Then, thisis because the output unit 103 outputs the information based on that theperson is a person who is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.According to the information output from the output unit 103, the deviceor the person for receiving the information performs processing, abehavior, or determination based on that a person who is unsuitable forthe iris data acquisition attempts to make the device acquire the irisdata in such a way that it is possible to stop or prevent the attempt ofthe person to make the device acquire the iris data.

Second Example Embodiment

Hereinafter, a specific example of the first example embodiment will bedescribed.

One of specific examples of the information providing device 10 is aniris data acquisition device 11 illustrated in FIG. 3 . The iris dataacquisition device 11 is a device that acquires iris data. The iris dataacquisition device 11 determines whether a person is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition in a process of processing of imaging andrecording an iris from the person.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the iris data acquisition device 11 iscommunicatively connected to an iris database 21. The iris database 21is a database that stores the iris data.

The iris database 21 stores information used to identify an individualand data of an iris of the individual in a form in which the informationand the iris data are associated with each other.

The information used to identify the individual may include, forexample, a name, a date of birth, an attribute (gender, age, officialposition, or the like), a unique Identifier (ID) assigned to eachperson.

The iris data is, for example, an iris code (to be described later).

<Configuration>

Hereinafter, components of the iris data acquisition device 11 will bedescribed.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the iris data acquisition device 11 includesa control unit 111, an imaging unit 112, an iris data acquisition unit113, a success determination unit 114, a suitability determination unit115, a generation unit 116, an output unit 117, an input interface 118,and a memory 119.

===Input Interface 118===

The input interface 118 receives inputs of various commands from outside(for example, user of iris data acquisition device 11). The inputinterface 118 is, for example, a touch panel, a touch pad, a keyboard,and/or a port that receives a signal from an input device (mouse,keyboard, or the like), or the like.

===Memory 119===

The memory 119 temporarily or non-temporarily stores data handled by theiris data acquisition device 11. The memory 119 may be achieved, forexample, by a Random Access Memory (RAM), a hard disk, a portablestorage device, or the like. With respect to the memory 119, othercomponents included in the iris data acquisition device 11 can freelyread and write data.

===Control Unit 111===

The control unit 111 controls operations of the components included inthe iris data acquisition device 11.

The control unit 111 controls a flow of the data handled by the irisdata acquisition device 11. For example, the control unit 111 mayreceive an image generated by the imaging unit 112 and record thereceived image in the memory 119.

===Imaging Unit 112===

The imaging unit 112 generates an image including an iris by imaging theiris. The imaging unit 112 is, for example, a camera. The imaging unit112 may be a visible light camera or an infrared camera. The imagingunit 112 performs imaging, for example, in response to an imaginginstruction issued from the control unit 111. The imaging instruction isissued, for example, on the basis of a command that is input by a personto be imaged by the imaging unit 112 (that is, subject whose iris datais to be acquired) to the iris data acquisition device 11. In order tocause the iris data acquisition device 11 to acquire the data of theiris of the subject, the subject is positioned in front of the imagingunit 112 and inputs the command to the iris data acquisition device 11via the input interface 118. Therefore, it is assumed that the subjectbe imaged in the image generated by the imaging unit 112. The subjectmay particularly adjust a direction of the imaging unit 112 or aposition of the face of the subject in such a way that the iris of thesubject is imaged.

===Iris Data Acquisition Unit 113===

The iris data acquisition unit 113 is configured to acquire the data ofthe iris of the subject included in the image from the image generatedby the imaging unit 112. Specifically, the iris data acquisition unit113 is configured to generate iris data that can be used forauthentication from a pixel value in a region of the iris in the image.

Typical iris data that can be used for authentication is data referredto as an iris code. The iris code is data that is obtained by processingimage data of the iris region. Because the iris code is biologicalinformation peculiar to an individual (so-called biometric information),the iris code is data that can be used for authentication in a casewhere the iris is appropriately imaged.

A method for generating the iris code by the iris data acquisition unit113 includes, for example, the following steps.

-   -   Step for detecting an eye region from an image    -   Step for detecting an edge of an upper eyelid, an edge of a        lower eyelid, a boundary between a pupil and an iris, and a        boundary between an iris and a white eye (also referred to as        sclera) in the eye region    -   Step for developing a pattern in a region in which the iris is        imaged in a band-like shape    -   Step for encoding the developed pattern

The iris data acquisition unit 113 may be configured to generate theiris code by executing the above steps.

===Success Determination Unit 114===

The success determination unit 114 determines whether the iris data hasbeen successfully acquired by the iris data acquisition unit 113.Whether the iris data is successfully acquired is, in other words,whether the iris data that can be used for authentication can beacquired.

In a case where the iris data that can be used for authentication can beacquired by the iris data acquisition unit 113, the successdetermination unit 114 determines that the iris data has beensuccessfully acquired. In a case where it is not possible for the irisdata acquisition unit 113 to acquire the iris data that can be used forauthentication, the success determination unit 114 determines that theiris data has not been successfully acquired (that is, has failed).

A case where it is not possible to acquire the iris data that can beused for authentication is, for example, a case where it is not possibleto acquire the iris data itself because it is not possible to specifythe position of the iris, an area of the iris displayed in the image istoo small, or the like. In a case where an error occurs in any one ofthe processing in the steps executed by the iris data acquisition unit113 described above and the acquisition of the iris data is not normallycompleted, the success determination unit 114 may determine that theiris data has not been successfully acquired by the iris dataacquisition unit 113.

In addition, a case where it is not possible to acquire the iris datathat can be used for authentication is a case where it is determinedthat the acquired iris data is unusable for authentication.

In a case where the acquisition of the iris data by the iris dataacquisition unit 113 has been normally completed, the successdetermination unit 114 determines whether the acquired iris data can beused for authentication.

The iris data can be used for authentication, that is, specifically,quality of the iris data satisfies a predetermined standard forauthentication using the iris data. The quality is evaluation oninformation represented by the iris data. The predetermined standard isa standard at which the authentication using the iris data can beperformed with required accuracy. The predetermined standard is a designmatter. However, as an example, the predetermined standard is that“authentication such that a false acceptance rate is equal to or lessthan 0.001% can be performed using the iris data”.

For example, in a case where a feature specific for an individual doesnot sufficiently appear in the acquired iris data, it cannot be saidthat the iris data can be used for authentication. In a case where theacquired iris data has an unnatural feature as the feature of the iris,it cannot be said that the iris data can be used for authentication.Therefore, the success determination unit 114 may analyze the featurethat appears in the acquired iris data, and determine whether the irisdata can be used for authentication on the basis of the analysis.

In a case where the acquisition of the iris data is normally completedand the acquired iris data can be used for authentication, the successdetermination unit 114 determines that the iris data is successfullyacquired. In a case where the iris data acquisition unit 113 cannotnormally complete the acquisition of the iris data or in a case wherethe acquired iris data cannot be used for authentication, the successdetermination unit 114 determines that the iris data is not successfullyacquired.

===Suitability Determination Unit 115===

The suitability determination unit 115 determines whether the subject issuitable for the iris data acquisition.

A person who is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition is a person whois not expected to acquire the iris data that can be used forauthentication, from one point of view. The person who is unsuitable forthe iris data acquisition is a person that has a cause that interferesthe acquisition of the iris data, from one point of view.

Specific examples of the cause that interfere the acquisition of theiris data will be given.

-   -   The eye is an artificial eye    -   A colored contact lens is worn that obscures a part of or an        entire iris in such a way that the feature of the iris cannot be        sufficiently extracted    -   Most part of the iris is obscured by the eyelid due to symptoms        of eyelid droop    -   Most part of the iris is obscured because an eyelid opening        degree is extremely small (that is, slit eye)    -   The degree to which the iris is obscured by the eyelashes is        unacceptable    -   It is not possible to obtain iris data with sufficient clarity        due to movements such as tremors

It is sufficient that the suitability determination unit 115 beconfigured to detect that the subject has any one of the above-mentionedcauses from the face image. However, when the suitability determinationunit 115 is configured, the cause detected by the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may be some of the plurality of causes describedabove. The specific example described above is an example, and thesuitability determination unit 115 may be configured to detect a causeother than the above that interferes the acquisition of the iris data.

Hereinafter, to determine whether the subject is unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition is also referred to as “to determine a suitability ofthe subject”. In the following, to determine that the subject isunsuitable for the iris data acquisition is also simply referred to as“to determine that the subject is unsuitable”.

The suitability determination unit 115 may determine that the subject isunsuitable, for example, by detecting that the detected eye has afeature of an artificial eye.

The feature of the artificial eye may be, for example, a featureindicating that the eye is not a living body. The feature indicatingthat the eye is not a living body may be that the size of the pupil doesnot change. In this case, the imaging unit 112 may image a moving imageincluding the eye region of the subject in an imaging range. Then, thesuitability determination unit 115 may detect a variation in the size ofthe pupil. For example, a light source such as a Light Emitting Diode(LED) may be attached to the imaging unit 112. For example, the lightsource may be configured to emit light under control of the control unit111. While the imaging unit 112 images a moving image, the control unit111 may control the light source in such a way that the light sourceemits visible light to the face of the subject, for example, for apredetermined time period. The suitability determination unit 115 maydetect the variation in the size of the pupil in the obtained movingimage. The suitability determination unit 115 may determine apossibility that the eyes of the subject are artificial eyes on thebasis of the magnitude of the detected variation, a distribution of thevariation in the size of the pupil detected in the eye that is not anartificial eye and a distribution of the variation in the size of thepupil detected in the artificial eye. These distributions may begenerated through experiments in advance. In a case where thepossibility that the eyes of the subject are artificial eyes is lowerthan a predetermined standard, the suitability determination unit 115may determine that the eye is not a living body, that is, the eye hasthe feature of the artificial eye.

The feature of the artificial eye may be that a pupil is not detected ina region of an iris. The suitability determination unit 115 may detect aregion of the iris and a region of the pupil, for example, by any one ofexisting methods. Then, in a case where the region of the pupil is notdetected in the region of the iris, the suitability determination unit115 may determine that the imaged eye is an artificial eye. For example,in a case where a human eye is irradiated with near infrared light,reflection light of the near infrared light reflected by the retina isstrengthened in a direction toward a light source of the near infraredlight. In a case where the face of the subject is irradiated with nearinfrared light from the direction of the imaging unit 112, a portion ofthe pupil is brighter than a portion of the iris in an image obtained byimaging the face of the subject by the imaging unit 112. The pupil insuch a state is referred to as a bright pupil. A method for detecting apupil using this feature is referred to as a bright pupil method. In acase where the face of the subject is irradiated with infrared lightfrom a direction different from an optical axis of the imaging unit 112,the portion of the pupil is darker than the portion of the iris in theimage obtained by imaging the face of the subject by the imaging unit112. The pupil in such as state is referred to as a dark pupil. A methodfor detecting a pupil using this feature is referred to as a dark pupilmethod. The suitability determination unit 115 may detect a pupil with acombination or either one of the bright pupil method and the dark pupilmethod. Then, in a case where the pupil is not detected, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the eyes of the subject areartificial eyes. In this case, a light source of near infrared lightthat is connected to the iris data acquisition device 11 may be providedat a position suitable for the method for detecting the pupil. In thiscase, the light source may be configured to emit infrared light, forexample, for a predetermined time period while the imaging unit 112performs imaging, for example, under the control of the control unit111. The suitability determination unit 115 may detect the pupil usingthe obtained image. The suitability determination unit 115 may determinethe possibility that the eyes of the subject are artificial eyes, forexample, on the basis of a difference in the brightness of the pupilbetween a state where the near infrared light is not irradiated and astate where the near infrared light is irradiated. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine the possibility that the eyes ofthe subject are artificial eyes on the basis of a difference betweenbrightness of the bright pupil and brightness of the dark pupil. Inthese cases, a distribution of the difference in the brightness of theeyes that are not artificial eyes and a distribution of the differencein the brightness of the eyes that are artificial eyes may be obtained,for example, through experiments in advance. In a case where thepossibility that the eyes of the subject are artificial eyes is lowerthan a predetermined standard, the suitability determination unit 115may determine that the eye is not a living body, that is, the eye hasthe feature of the artificial eye. The method for determining thefeature of the artificial eye is not limited to the above method.

For example, the suitability determination unit 115 may determine thatthe subject is unsuitable by detecting presence of the colored contactlens and detecting that a range of the colored contact lens narrows arange of the iris.

The suitability determination unit 115 may determine the presence of thecolored contact lens in the region of the iris and the range of thecolored contact lens, for example, by template matching. In this case,the suitability determination unit 115 may hold images of iris portionsof various colored contact lenses as templates. In this templatematching, the suitability determination unit 115 may translate, enlarge,reduce, and rotate the template. In a case where the region of the irismatches the template, the suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine whether the colored contact lens exists on the basis of avalue indicating a magnitude of a difference from the template at thematching place.

In a case where the portion of the iris of the colored contact lens isdrawn by repeating patterns and in a case where the pattern of theportion of the iris is represented by halftone dots, the pattern of theportion of the iris has periodicity. The suitability determination unit115 may detect the region of the iris and determine whether pixel valuesin the detected region of the iris have the periodicity. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine whether the periodicity exists inthe circumferential direction and the radial direction in the region ofthe iris. In this case, the suitability determination unit 115 mayconvert the image of the region of the iris into a rectangular image,for example, in such a way that the radial direction is set as, forexample, the vertical axis, and the circumferential direction is set as,for example, the horizontal axis. The suitability determination unit 115may determine whether the converted rectangular image periodicallychanges in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, forexample, using conversion such as Fourier transformation on theconverted image. The suitability determination unit 115 may set two axesorthogonal to each other to the image in which the face of the subjectis imaged. The suitability determination unit 115 may cut out an image,in the rectangle surrounding the region of the iris, that has sidesparallel to the set two axes from the image. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine whether the periodicity exists inthe axial direction of the cut image. In a case where it is determinedthat there is periodicity, the suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine that the colored contact lens exists. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine whether the colored contact lensexists on the basis of a color of the pixel value in the region of theiris.

In a case where the pattern of the iris portion of the colored contactlens is drawn using coloring matters of the limited number (for example,equal to or less than three) of colors, it is considered that a sharppeak occurs in the distribution of the color of the iris portion of thecolored contact lens. The suitability determination unit 115 maygenerate, for example, a distribution of the pixel value of the pixelincluded in the region of the iris. Then, the suitability determinationunit 115 may detect the peaks of the pixel value of which a ratio of thenumber in the region of the iris is equal to or more than apredetermined ratio. The suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine sharpness of the detected peak. The sharpness of the peak maybe represented, for example, by a half width. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the colored contact lensexists in a case where there is a peak sharper than a predeterminedstandard. The suitability determination unit 115 may further specify thedistribution, in the region of the iris, of the pixel having the pixelvalue that appears in the distribution as the peak sharper than thepredetermined standard. The suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine whether a level of a frequency of such a pixel in an outerperipheral portion of the iris region with respect to a frequency ofsuch a pixel in an inner peripheral portion of the iris region exceeds apredetermined standard. The suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine that the colored contact lens exists in a case where the levelof the frequency of such a pixel in the outer peripheral portion of theiris region with respect to the frequency of such a pixel in the innerperipheral portion of the iris region exceeds the predeterminedstandard. The method for determining whether the colored contact lensexists is not limited to the above method.

In a case where it is estimated that the iris data that can be used forauthentication cannot be acquired even if the subject fully opens theeyes, the suitability determination unit 115 may determine that thesubject is unsuitable.

For example, in a case where it is recognized that the received image isan image of a state where the subject fully opens the eyes in a casewhere the iris data is not successfully acquired, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the subject is unsuitable. Torecognize whether the received image is the image of the state where thesubject fully opens the eyes, for example, the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 may inquire whether the subject is imaged in the state wherethe subject fully opens the eyes by the output unit 117 and receive aninput of “Yes” or “No”. In a case where “Yes” is input, because the irisdata is not successfully acquired although the subject fully opens theeyes, the suitability determination unit 115 may determine that thesubject is unsuitable.

To recognize whether the received image is the image of the state wherethe subject fully opens the eyes, the suitability determination unit 115may detect features of the eyes or features around the eyes that occurin a case where the eyes are fully opened. For example, in a case whereit is detected that the eyebrows are raised, the forehead is wrinkled,or the like, the suitability determination unit 115 may estimate thatthe subject fully opens the eyes.

The suitability determination unit 115 may estimate that the iris datathat can be used for authentication cannot be acquired even if thesubject fully opens the eyes on the basis of the positions and/or theshapes of the eyelids.

For example, the suitability determination unit 115 the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may acquire a moving image of the eye of thesubject and analyze the moving image. If the subject opens and closesthe eyes in the moving image, a state where the eyelids are raised mostis estimated as a state at the time when the subject fully opens theeyes at some extent. The suitability determination unit 115 may estimatethe state where the subject fully opens the eyes from the state wherethe subject fully opens the eyes at some extent.

Alternatively, the suitability determination unit 115 may detect thatthe iris data that can be used for authentication cannot be acquiredeven if the subject fully opens the eyes by detecting a feature of aperson who has characteristics such that most of the iris is constantlyhidden by the eyelid (person having symptoms of eyelid droop and personhaving extremely narrow eyes) on the basis of the shapes of the eyelidsin the received image. That is, the suitability determination unit 115may detect, on the basis of the shapes of the eyelids, that the state ofthe eyelids that hides most of the irises is not temporary and is causedby the characteristics of the subject. For example, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may perform learning to prepare a discriminatorthat distinguishes between a shape of an eyelid when a person who canopen the eyes so as not to hide the iris temporarily covers the iriswith the eyelid and the shape of the eyelid when a person who hascharacteristics that most of the iris is obscured by the eyelid and mayuse the discriminator for the image of the eye of the subject.

The suitability determination unit 115 may determine that the subject isunsuitable by detecting an obstacle that obscures a part or all of theregion of the iris, that the obstacle is the eyelash, and that a degreeto which the eyelashes obscure the region of the iris is unacceptable.The suitability determination unit 115 may detect, for example, that theobstacle is the eyelash on the basis of the shape of the obstacle andthe position of the obstacle in the face image. The suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may use an area of the eyelashes that covers overthe iris portion as a measure of the degree to which the eyelashesobscure the iris region. In a case where the area exceeds apredetermined reference value, the suitability determination unit 115may determine that the degree to which the eyelashes obscure the irisregion is unacceptable.

The suitability determination unit 115 may determine a suitability ofthe subject by analyzing a state of the subject from a plurality of faceimages that is temporally continuous. For example, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may detect that the eyes of the subject areslightly shaking. The suitability determination unit 115 may detect thatnot only the eyes but also the entire face of the subject is slightlyshaking or continuously moving. In a case where it is determined thatthe movement of the subject specified from the plurality of face imagesis at a level that interferes the acquisition of the iris data, thesuitability determination unit 115 may determine that the subject isunsuitable.

The suitability determination unit 115 may be configured to execute apart or all of the plurality of determination methods described above.

It can be said that some of the above-described determination methodsare methods for detecting that the subject has the feature (or nature)that interferes the acquisition of the iris data.

As the person who is determined by the suitability determination unit115 to be unsuitable for the iris data acquisition, persons other thanthe person described above can be exemplified. The person other than theperson described above who is determined to be unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition will be described in “Note” field.

===Generation Unit 116===

The generation unit 116 generates information to be output by the outputunit 117. The information to be generated is information indicating aresult or progress of the processing by the iris data acquisition device11. A specific example of the information to be generated will bedescribed in the description of the operation of the iris dataacquisition device 11.

===Output Unit 117===

The output unit 117 outputs the information generated by the generationunit 116.

An output destination of the output unit 117 is, for example, a displaydevice that has an information display function or an informationprocessing device or the like other than the iris data acquisitiondevice 11.

<Operation>

Hereinafter, a flow of the processing by the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4 .In a case where each processing is executed by a processor that executesa program, it is sufficient that each processing be executed in an orderof instructions in the program. In a case where each processing isexecuted by an individual device, it is sufficient that the processingbe executed in order by issuing a notification by a device that hascompleted the processing to a device that executes next processing or byrecognizing the end of each processing and instructing to start eachprocessing by the control unit 111. It is sufficient that each unit thatexecutes processing receive data necessary for each processing, forexample, from a unit that generates the data and/or read the data fromthe memory 119.

The processing by the iris data acquisition device 11 described latermay be started in a case where a person who intends to use the irisauthentication uses the iris data acquisition device 11 to register irisdata of the person in the iris database 21. The processing by the irisdata acquisition device 11 may be started in a case where the person whointends to use the iris authentication uses the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 to execute authentication processing of collating the irisdata of the person with iris data registered in the iris database 21.Hereinafter, the person who intends to cause the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 to acquire the iris data of the person is referred to as a“user”.

First, the imaging unit 112 images a face of a user (step S11). Forexample, it is sufficient that the user stand in front of the imagingunit 112, input a command to perform imaging to the iris dataacquisition device 11 via the input interface 118, and the control unit111 send an imaging instruction to the imaging unit 112 in response tothe command.

The imaging unit 112 performs imaging in such a way that a face image inwhich the face of the user is imaged is generated. However, the faceimage does not necessarily need to include the entire face. It issufficient that the face image be an image in which a range where theiris exists is imaged.

When the face image is generated, the iris data acquisition unit 113attempts to acquire iris data from the face image (step S12).

Next, the success determination unit 114 determines that the processingin step S12, that is, acquisition of the iris data is successfullyperformed (step S13).

In a case where it is determined that the iris data is successfullyacquired (YES in step S13), the control unit 111 records the acquirediris data as iris data to be used for authentication (step S14). In acase where the iris data is acquired to register the iris data, it issufficient that the control unit 111 register the acquired iris data inthe iris database 21. In this case, the iris data acquisition device 11may receive an input of personal identification information of the uservia the input interface 118 (may have received in advance) and registera pair of the received personal identification information and theacquired iris data in the iris database 21. In a case where the irisdata is acquired for collation with the iris data registered in the irisdatabase 21, it is sufficient that the control unit 111 record the irisdata in the memory 119 for collation. In this case, the iris dataacquisition device 11 may collate the iris data recorded in the memory119 with the iris data registered in the iris database 21.

After the processing in step S14, the generation unit 116 generatesinformation indicating that the iris data is successfully acquired, andthe output unit 117 outputs the information (step S15).

In a case where the iris data is acquired to register the iris data, theinformation indicating that the iris data is successfully acquired maybe, for example, a message of “normally registered”. In a case where theiris data is acquired for the collation with the iris data registered inthe iris database 21, the information indicating that the iris data issuccessfully acquired may be information indicating whether thecollation is successfully performed. In particular, in a case where thecollation is successfully performed (that is, in a case where iris datathat matches acquired iris data is found in iris database 21), theoutput unit 117 may output the personal identification information ofthe user specified by the collation as the information indicating thatthe iris data is successfully acquired. Information indicating that thecollation fails (for example, message of “does not match data registeredin database”, or the like) may be one piece of the informationindicating that the iris data is successfully acquired.

In a case where it is determined that the iris data is not successfullyacquired (NO in step S13), the suitability determination unit 115determines whether the user is suitable for the iris data acquisition(step S16).

In a case where it is determined that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition (YES in step S17), the generation unit 116generates output information on the basis of that the user is unsuitablefor the iris data acquisition (step S18). Then, the output unit 117outputs the output information (step S19). The output information isinformation output because the user is unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition, and is different from the information output in step S15and information to be output in step S21 described later.

The output information may be, for example, information including amessage to the user.

Content of the message is, for example, a message indicating that aneffort to cause the iris data acquisition device 11 to acquire the irisdata should be stopped. Specific examples of the messages are “You areunsuitable for the iris data acquisition”, “Unfortunately, it isdifficult to acquire the iris data from you”, “Please stop acquisitionof the iris data”, or the like.

The output information may be information including a message indicatingthat the user cannot perform a behavior to acquire the iris dataanymore, for example, “The staff will be right with you. Please followthe staff's instructions”, “It is difficult to acquire the iris data.The acquisition processing is terminated”, or the like.

In a case where the output information is the information including themessage to the user, it is sufficient that the output unit 117 outputthe output information to a display device that can be visuallyrecognized by the user.

The output information may be, for example, information including amessage that indicates that the person who is unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition uses the iris data acquisition device 11 to a personother than the user. An example of the message is “Current user isunsuitable for the iris data acquisition. Please take care of theperson” or the like.

In a case where the output information is the information including themessage to the person other than the user, it is sufficient that theoutput unit 117 output (transmit) the output information to a terminalused by the person.

The output information does not need to include a message. For example,the output information may be a signal that lights a light emitter.

If the light emitter is positioned at a position that can be visuallyrecognized by a user or a staff, the user or the staff may understandthat the user is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition on the basisof the lighting of the light emitter. In addition, the outputinformation may be a signal that sounds a buzzer, an image from whichoccurrence of an error can be sensed, a signal that causes aninformation processing device connected to the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 to execute specific processing, or the like.

In a case where the iris data acquisition device 11 starts or ends thespecific processing on the basis of that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition, information indicating that the iris dataacquisition device 11 has started the specific processing andinformation indicating that the iris data acquisition device 11 ends thespecific processing can be assumed as the output information.

In a case where the determination result in step S17 is YES, theacquisition of the iris data is not attempted again, and the controlunit 111 terminates the processing.

In a case where it is not determined that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition (NO in step S17), the control unit 111 maycontinue the attempt to acquire the iris data. In a case where theattempt to acquire the iris data is continued (YES in step S20), theprocedure returns to step S11, and the iris data acquisition device 11may attempt to acquire the iris data again.

In a case where the attempt to acquire the iris data is not continued(NO in step S20), the generation unit 116 generates informationindicating that the acquisition of the iris data fails, and the outputunit 117 outputs the information.

The information indicating that the acquisition of the iris data failsis, for example, information including a message of “Failed to acquirethe iris data”. The information indicating that the acquisition of theiris data fails is designed to be different from the output informationoutput in step S19.

For example, in a case where a predetermined period of time has elapsedfrom the start of the processing in step S11, in a case where the numberof times when it is determined as NO in step S13 reaches a predeterminednumber of times, or the like, the control unit 111 may determine not tocontinue the attempt to acquire the iris data.

Alternatively, the determination in step S20 may be made on the basis ofdetermination by the user. The iris data acquisition device 11 mayexecute the processing in step S21 before the determination in step S20,display a message for inquiring “whether to attempt to acquire the irisdata again” to the user, and receive a determination result of the user.

In a case of receiving an input indicating that the user has determinedto “attempt to acquire the iris data again”, it is sufficient that thecontrol unit 111 determine to continue the attempt to acquire the irisdata.

The face may be automatically imaged after it is determined as YES instep S20 (without waiting for imaging instruction of user). The face maybe imaged after it is determined as YES in step S20 in response to thereception of the imaging instruction from the user again.

The determination in step S16 may be made with different criteria forthe same user between the first processing and the second and subsequentprocessing. That is, the criterion of the determination in step S16 maybe designed to be different according to the number of times when stepS12 or S16 is executed by the same user.

In a case where it is determined as YES in step S20, the output unit 117may output a message to the user before the processing in step S11. Itis sufficient that this message be generated by the generation unit 116.The message may have the same content as the message displayed in stepS21. This message may be a message indicating advice to acquire moreappropriate iris data such as “Please open your eyes” or “Your hair maycover your eyes. Please remove your hair”. The generation unit 116 maygenerate such a message indicating the advice on the basis of a part ofthe result of the processing executed by the suitability determinationunit 115.

[Note] More examples of the criteria of the determination in step S16 bythe suitability determination unit 115

Some examples of the criteria of the determination in step S16 by thesuitability determination unit 115 have been already described. However,more examples will be described below.

In a case where the number of times of reception of the imaginginstruction from the same user in a state where the iris data is notsuccessfully acquired exceeds a predetermined value, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition in step S16. Such a configuration detects thatthere is a high possibility that the iris data is not successfullyacquired even if the user is repeatedly imaged, and contributes to stopfurther attempts to acquire the iris data by the user.

In a case where the number of times when the message indicating theadvice is output to the same user in a state where the iris data is notsuccessfully acquired exceeds a predetermined value, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition in step S16. Such a configuration detects thatthere is a high possibility that the user does not make improvementefforts or the improvement efforts of the user are not rewarded, andcontributes to stop further attempts to acquire the iris data by theuser.

The above-described predetermined value may be differently set accordingto a type, a degree, or the like of the failure of the acquisition ofthe iris data. For example, in a case where it is determined that theobstacle obscures a part of the iris in step S13, the predeterminedvalue may be set to “4”, and in a case where it is determined that theposition of the iris cannot be specified in step S13, the predeterminedvalue may be set to “2”. For such determination, the successdetermination unit 114 may be configured to record the type and thedegree of the failure in the memory 119 in step S13.

The degree of the failure is a measure of seriousness of the cause thathas contributed the failure, and for example, is a degree of separationfrom an index for successful acquisition of iris data. For example, ifthe type of the failure is that an area of an iris that is visible in animage is small, the degree of the failure may be expressed by a valueobtained by subtracting the area of the iris region that is visible inthe image from a standard value (may be set on the basis of standardnormal iris data).

Another example of the information indicating the degree of the failureis, for example, a value indicating a possibility that eyes areartificial eyes, a value indicating an amount of an obstacle (eyelashes)that covers an iris, an evaluation value indicating a blurriness of animage, or the like.

The suitability determination unit 115 may calculate the degree of thefailure, for the failure to be determined in step S13, on the basis ofthe data used in the determination in step S13. In a case where a scoreaccording to the degree of the failure determined in step S13 iscumulatively added and the accumulated value exceeds a predeterminedvalue, the suitability determination unit 115 may determine that theuser is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition. For example, in a casewhere the iris region is not sufficient in step S13, the successdetermination unit 114 makes the memory 119 store a value obtained bysubtracting the area of the iris region that is visible in the imagefrom the standard value as a score. Then, the success determination unit114 accumulates the score each time when it is determined that the irisregion is not sufficient in step S13. In a case where the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 determines whether the accumulated value exceedsthe predetermined value in the determination in step S16 and theaccumulated value exceeds the predetermined value, the suitabilitydetermination unit 115 may determine that the user is unsuitable for theiris data acquisition. The score is set to be higher as the degree ofthe failure increases in a form in which the accumulated value iscompared with the predetermined value as described above. A uniformscore may be set for a specific type of failure. A uniform score may beset for each type of failure.

The suitability determination unit 115 may make the determination instep S16 on the basis of the comparison between a degree of a recentfailure and a degree of a previous failure. For example, in a case wherethe degree of the failure does not change even though the imaging isperformed again, it can be said there is no possibility that theacquisition is successfully performed. Therefore, the successdetermination unit 114 may, for example, record the degree of thefailure determined in step S13 in the memory 119. Then, for example, ina case where the degree of the recent failure is compared with thedegree of the previous failure and a difference is less (smaller) than areference in step S16, the suitability determination unit 115 maydetermine that the user is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.

<Effect>

According to the iris data acquisition device 11 according to the secondexample embodiment, it is possible to reduce a wasteful behavior,wasteful processing, or the like that may occur in a scene in which theiris data is acquired. The reason is the same as the reason described inthe description of the first example embodiment.

In the second example embodiment, it is determined whether the user issuitable for the iris data acquisition before the iris data acquiredfrom the user is recorded. In a case where the iris data acquisitiondevice 11 is used at the time when the iris data is registered in theiris database 21, the user can recognize that the user is unsuitable forthe iris data acquisition before the iris data is registered in the irisdatabase 21. As a result, it is possible to make the user who isunsuitable for the iris data acquisition to abandon the use of the irisauthentication at an early stage. In a case where the iris dataacquisition device 11 is used at the time of authentication, it ispossible to urge the user to perform authentication using anotherauthentication method other than the iris authentication at an earlystage.

<Hardware Configuration That Implements Each Unit of Example Embodiment>

In each example embodiment described above, a block illustrating eachcomponent of each device is illustrated in functional units. However,the blocks illustrating the components do not necessarily mean that thecomponents are configured by separate modules.

Processing of each component may be achieved, for example, by readingand executing a program that is stored in a computer-readable storagemedium and causes a computer system to execute the processing by thecomputer system. The “computer-readable storage medium” is, for example,a portable medium such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, amagneto-optical disk, or a nonvolatile semiconductor memory and astorage device such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), a hard disk, or thelike built in a computer system. The “computer-readable storage medium”includes a storage medium that can temporarily hold a program such as avolatile memory in the computer system and a storage medium thattransmits a program such as a communication line such as a network, atelephone line, or the like. The program may implement a part of theabove-described functions or may implement the functions described aboveby a combination with a program that has been already stored in thecomputer system.

The “computer system” is, for example, a system including a computer 900as illustrated in FIG. 5 . The computer 900 includes the followingcomponents.

-   -   One or a plurality of central Processing Units (CPU) 901    -   ROM 902    -   RAM 903    -   Program 904 loaded on RAM 903    -   Storage device 905 that stores program 904    -   Drive device 907 that reads/writes from/to storage medium 906    -   Communication interface 908 connected to communication network        909    -   Input/output interface 910 that inputs/outputs data    -   Bus 911 that connects components

For example, each component of each device in each example embodiment isimplemented by loading the program 904 for implementing the function ofthe component to the RAM 903 and executing the program 904 by the CPU901. The program 904 for implementing the function of each component ofeach device is, for example, stored in the storage device 905 or the ROM902 in advance. The CPU 901 reads the program 904 as necessary. Thestorage device 905 is, for example, a hard disk. The program 904 may besupplied to the CPU 901 via the communication network 909 or may bestored in the storage medium 906 in advance, read by the drive device907, and supplied to the CPU 901. The storage medium 906 is a portablemedium, for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-opticaldisk, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, or the like.

There are various modifications of the method for implementing eachdevice. For example, each device may be implemented by a possiblecombination of a separate computer 900 and a program for each component.A plurality of components included in each device may be implemented bya possible combination of a single computer 900 and a program.

Some or all the components of each device may be implemented by anothergeneral-purpose or dedicated circuit, a computer, or a combination ofthese. These may be configured by a single chip or a plurality of chipsconnected via a bus.

In a case where some or all of the components of each device areimplemented by a plurality of computers, circuits, or the like, theplurality of computers, circuits, or the like may be centrally arrangedor dispersedly arranged. For example, the computers, the circuits, orthe like may be implemented as a form, in which each of the computers,the circuits, or the like is connected via a communication network, suchas a client and server system, a cloud computing system, or the like.

Although a part or all of the example embodiments may be described assupplementary notes below, a part or all of the example embodiments arenot limited to the following supplementary notes.

<<Supplementary Note>>

[Supplementary Note 1]

An information providing device including:

-   -   reception means for receiving a face image;    -   determination means for determining whether a person in the face        image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition based on the face        image; and    -   output means for outputting information based on that it is        determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition in a case where it is determined that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.        [Supplementary Note 2]

The information providing device according to supplementary note 1, inwhich

-   -   the output means outputs at least one of information indicating        that the person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition and        information that urges the person to stop a behavior to acquire        the iris data of the person, as the information.        [Supplementary Note 3]

The information providing device according to supplementary note 1 or 2,in which

-   -   the determination means detects, from the face image, that the        person has a cause that interferes the acquisition of the iris        data and determines that the person is unsuitable for the iris        data acquisition in a case where it is detected that the person        has the cause that interferes the acquisition of the iris data.        [Supplementary Note 4]

The information providing device according to supplementary note 3, inwhich

-   -   the determination means determines that the person is unsuitable        for the iris data acquisition by detecting that the person has        the cause regarding opening of eyelids based on shapes of the        eyelids of the person.        [Supplementary Note 5]

The information providing device according to any one of supplementarynotes 1 to 4, further including:

-   -   iris data acquisition means for attempting to acquire the iris        data from the face image; and    -   success determination means for determining whether the iris        data acquisition means has acquired the iris data and whether        quality of the iris data acquired by the iris data acquisition        means is sufficient to be used for authentication, in which    -   the determination means determines whether the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition in a case where it is        not possible for the iris data acquisition means to acquire the        iris data or in a case where the success determination means        determines that the quality of the acquired iris data is not        sufficient to be used for authentication.        [Supplementary Note 6]

The information providing device according to supplementary note 5, inwhich

-   -   the output means outputs a message to the person in a case where        it is not determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris        data acquisition,    -   in a case where a new face image is input after the output of        the message, the iris data acquisition means attempts to acquire        iris data from the new face image, and the success determination        means makes the determination, and    -   the determination means determines that the person is unsuitable        for the iris data acquisition in a case where the number of        times when the message is output to the person exceeds a        threshold in a case where the iris data having quality        sufficient to be used for authentication has never been acquired        from the person.        [Supplementary Note 7]

The information providing device according to supplementary note 5, inwhich

-   -   in a case where the iris data having the quality sufficient to        be used for authentication is not acquired, the success        determination means calculates a seriousness of a cause of that        the iris data having the quality sufficient to be used for        authentication is not acquired based on information used for the        determination and records seriousness information indicating the        seriousness in a memory, and    -   the determination means determines whether the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition based on a history of        the seriousness information.        [Supplementary Note 8]

The information providing device according to any one of supplementarynotes 1 to 7, further including:

-   -   imaging means for generating a face image by imaging; and    -   registration means, in a case where the iris data of which        quality satisfies a predetermined reference for authentication        processing using the iris data is acquired, for registering, in        a database, a pair of the acquired iris data and identification        information of the person.        [Supplementary Note 9]

An information providing method including:

-   -   receiving a face image;    -   determining whether a person in the face image is unsuitable for        iris data acquisition based on the face image; and    -   outputting information based on that it is determined that the        person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition in a case        where it is determined that the person is unsuitable for the        iris data acquisition.        [Supplementary Note 10]

The information providing method according to supplementary note 9, inwhich

-   -   at least one of information indicating that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition and information that        urges the person to stop a behavior to acquire the iris data of        the person is output as the information.        [Supplementary Note 11]

The information providing method according to supplementary note 9 or10, in which

-   -   it is detected, from the face image, that the person has a cause        that interferes the acquisition of the iris data and it is        determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition in a case where it is detected that the person has        the cause that interferes the acquisition of the iris data.        [Supplementary Note 12]

The information providing method according to supplementary note 11, inwhich

-   -   it is determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition by detecting that the person has the cause regarding        opening of eyelids based on shapes of the eyelids of the person.        [Supplementary Note 13]

The information providing method according to any one of supplementarynotes 9 to 12, further including:

-   -   attempting to acquire the iris data from the face image;    -   determining whether the iris data is acquired by the acquisition        and whether quality of the iris data acquired by the acquisition        is sufficient to be used for authentication; and    -   determining whether the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition in a case where it is not possible to acquire the        iris data or in a case where it is determined that the quality        of the acquired iris data is not sufficient to be used for        authentication.        [Supplementary Note 14]

The information providing method according to supplementary note 13, inwhich

-   -   in a case where it is not determined that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition, a message to the        person is output,    -   in a case where a new face image is input after the output of        the message, acquisition of the iris data from the new face        image is attempted, and the determination is made, and    -   it is determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition in a case where the number of times when the message        is output to the person exceeds a threshold in a case where the        iris data having quality sufficient to be used for        authentication has never been acquired from the person.        [Supplementary Note 15]

The information providing method according to supplementary note 13, inwhich

-   -   in a case where the iris data having the quality sufficient to        be used for authentication is not acquired, a seriousness of a        cause of that the iris data having the quality sufficient to be        used for authentication is not acquired is calculated based on        information used for the determination, and seriousness        information indicating the seriousness is recorded in a memory,        and    -   it is determined whether the person is unsuitable for the iris        data acquisition based on a history of the seriousness        information.        [Supplementary Note 16]

The information providing method according to any one of supplementarynotes 9 to 15, further including:

-   -   in a case where the iris data of which quality satisfies a        predetermined reference for authentication processing using the        iris data is acquired, registering, in a database, a pair of the        acquired iris data and identification information of the person.        [Supplementary Note 17]

A storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer to executeprocessing including:

-   -   reception processing of receiving a face image;    -   determination processing of determining whether a person in the        face image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition based on the        face image; and    -   output processing of outputting information based on that it is        determined that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition in a case where it is determined that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition.        [Supplementary Note 18]

The storage medium according to supplementary note 17, in which

-   -   the output processing outputs at least one of information        indicating that the person is unsuitable for the iris data        acquisition and information that urges the person to stop a        behavior to acquire the iris data of the person, as the        information.        [Supplementary Note 19]

The storage medium according to supplementary note 17 or 18, in which

-   -   the determination processing detects, from the face image, that        the person has a cause that interferes the acquisition of the        iris data and determines that the person is unsuitable for the        iris data acquisition in a case where it is detected that the        person has the cause that interferes the acquisition of the iris        data.        [Supplementary Note 20]

The storage medium according to supplementary note 19, in which

-   -   the determination processing determines that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition by detecting that the        person has the cause regarding opening of eyelids based on        shapes of the eyelids of the person.        [Supplementary Note 21]

The storage medium according to any one of supplementary notes 17 to 20,that stores the program for causing the computer to execute processingfurther including:

-   -   iris data acquisition processing of attempting to acquire the        iris data from the face image; and    -   success determination processing of determining whether the iris        data acquisition processing has acquired the iris data and        whether quality of the iris data acquired by the iris data        acquisition processing is sufficient to be used for        authentication, in which    -   the determination processing determines whether the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition in a case where it is        not possible for the iris data acquisition processing to acquire        the iris data or in a case where the success determination        processing determines that the quality of the acquired iris data        is not sufficient to be used for authentication.        [Supplementary Note 22]

The storage medium according to supplementary note 21, in which

-   -   the output processing outputs a message to the person in a case        where it is not determined that the person is unsuitable for the        iris data acquisition,    -   in a case where a new face image is input after the output of        the message, the iris data acquisition processing attempts to        acquire the iris data from the new face image, and the success        determination processing makes the determination, and    -   the determination processing determines that the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition in a case where the        number of times when the message is output to the person exceeds        a threshold in a case where the iris data having quality        sufficient to be used for authentication has never been acquired        from the person.        [Supplementary Note 23]

The storage medium according to supplementary note 21, in which

-   -   in a case where the iris data having the quality sufficient to        be used for authentication is not acquired, the success        determination processing calculates a seriousness of a cause of        that the iris data having the quality sufficient to be used for        authentication is not acquired based on information used for the        determination and records seriousness information indicating the        seriousness in a memory, and    -   the determination processing determines whether the person is        unsuitable for the iris data acquisition based on a history of        the seriousness information.        [Supplementary Note 24]

The storage medium according to any one of supplementary notes 17 to 23that stores the program for causing the computer to execute processingfurther including:

-   -   imaging processing of generating a face image by imaging; and    -   registration processing, in a case where the iris data of which        quality satisfies a predetermined reference for authentication        processing using the iris data is acquired, of registering, in a        database, a pair of the acquired iris data and identification        information of the person.

The application is not limited to the example embodiments describedabove. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art thatvarious changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the example embodiments asdefined by the claims.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese patent application No. 2018-181027, filed on Sep. 26, 2018, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   10 information providing device    -   101 reception unit    -   102 determination unit    -   103 output unit    -   11 iris data acquisition device    -   111 control unit    -   112 imaging unit    -   113 iris data acquisition unit    -   114 success determination unit    -   115 suitability determination unit    -   116 generation unit    -   117 output unit    -   118 input interface    -   119 memory    -   21 iris database    -   900 computer    -   901 CPU    -   902 ROM    -   903 RAM    -   904 program    -   905 storage device    -   906 storage medium    -   907 drive device    -   908 communication interface    -   909 communication network    -   910 input/output interface    -   911 bus

The invention claimed is:
 1. An information providing device comprising:at least one memory storing a set of instructions; and at least oneprocessor configured to execute the set of instructions to: receive aface image; perform unsuitable-data determination of determining whetheriris data extracted from the face image is suitable for irisauthentication; when the iris data is determined to be unsuitable,perform an unsuitability-level determination of determining anunsuitability-level of the face image for the iris authentication usingthe iris data extracted from the face image, the unsuitability-levelindicated by an amount of an obstacle that covers an iris, and repeatreception of a new face image, the unsuitable-data determination of thenew face image and the unsuitability-level determination of the new faceimage; when the unsuitability-level is determined to be unchanged,determine a person in the face image is unsuitable for iris dataacquisition by using the unsuitability-level of the face image and theunsuitability-level of the new face image; and output information basedon the determination that the person is unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition when the person is determined to be unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition.
 2. The information providing device according to claim1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to executethe set of instructions to: determine the person to be unsuitable foriris data acquisition when a difference between the unsuitability-levelof the face image and the unsuitability-level of the new face image isequal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.
 3. The informationproviding device according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to execute the set of instructions to:accumulate the unsuitability-level into a summation while repeating thereception of the new face image, the unsuitable-data determination andthe unsuitability-level determination; and when the summation exceeds apredetermined value, determine the person to be unsuitable for iris dataacquisition.
 4. The information providing device according to claim 1,wherein the unsuitability-level is further indicated by a difference inan area between an iris area extracted from the face image and a presetstandard value, a possibility that eyes are artificial eyes, or anevaluation value indicating a blurriness of the face image.
 5. Theinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to execute the set of instructionsto: when the iris data is determined to be unsuitable, output an advicemessage to acquire appropriate iris data, and the unsuitability-level isa repeating number of outputting a suggestion message.
 6. Theinformation providing device according to claim 1, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to execute the set of instructionsto: when the person is determined to be unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition, output, as the information, a suggestion message to stop anaction for the iris data acquisition.
 7. The information providingdevice according to claim 6, wherein the suggestion message suggestsfollowing a staff's instruction.
 8. The information providing deviceaccording to claim 6, wherein the suggestion message suggests performingauthentication using another authentication method other than the irisauthentication.
 9. The information providing device according to claim1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to executethe set of instructions to: attempt acquisition of the iris data fromthe face image; perform determination including determining whether theiris data is acquired and determining whether quality of the iris dataacquired is sufficient to be used for authentication; and determinewhether the person is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition when theiris data is not acquired or when quality of the acquired iris data isdetermined to be not sufficient to be used for authentication.
 10. Theinformation providing device according to claim 9, wherein the at leastone processor is further configured to execute the set of instructionsto: output a message to the person when the person is not determined tobe unsuitable for the iris data acquisition; attempt acquisition of irisdata from the new face image when a new face image is input after themessage is output, and perform the determination; and determine that theperson is unsuitable for the iris data acquisition when a count of timeswhen the message is output to the person exceeds a threshold in a casewhere the iris data having quality sufficient to be used forauthentication is not acquired even once from the person.
 11. Aninformation providing method comprising: receiving a face image;performing unsuitable-data determination of determining whether irisdata extracted from the face image is suitable for iris authentication;when the iris data is determined to be unsuitable, performing anunsuitability-level determination of determining an unsuitability-levelof the face image for the iris authentication using the iris dataextracted from the face image, the unsuitability-level indicated by anamount of an obstacle that covers an iris, and repeating reception of anew face image, the unsuitable-data determination of the new face imageand the unsuitability-level determination of the new face image; whenthe unsuitability-level is determined to be unchanged, determining aperson in the face image is unsuitable for iris data acquisition byusing the unsuitability-level of the face image and theunsuitability-level of the new face image; and outputting informationbased on determining that the person is unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition when the person is determined to be unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition.
 12. The information providing method according toclaim 11, further comprising: determining the person to be unsuitablefor iris data acquisition when a difference between theunsuitability-level of the face image and the unsuitability-level of thenew face image is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.13. The information providing method according to claim 11, furthercomprising: accumulating the unsuitability-level into a summation whilerepeating the reception of the new face image, the unsuitable-datadetermination and the unsuitability-level determination; and when thesummation exceeds a predetermined value, determining the person to beunsuitable for iris data acquisition.
 14. The information providingmethod according to claim 11, wherein the unsuitability-level is furtherindicated by a difference in an area between an iris area extracted fromthe face image and a preset standard value, a possibility that eyes areartificial eyes, or an evaluation value indicating a blurriness of theface image.
 15. The information providing method according to claim 11,further comprising: when the iris data is determined to be unsuitable,outputting an advice message to acquire appropriate iris data, whereinthe unsuitability-level is a repeating number of outputting a suggestionmessage.
 16. The information providing method according to claim 11,further comprising: when the person is determined to be unsuitable forthe iris data acquisition, outputting, as the information, a suggestionmessage to stop an action for the iris data acquisition.
 17. Theinformation providing method according to claim 16, wherein thesuggestion message suggests following a staff's instruction.
 18. Theinformation providing method according to claim 16, wherein thesuggestion message suggests performing authentication using anotherauthentication method other than the iris authentication.
 19. Theinformation providing method according to claim 11, further comprising:attempting acquisition of the iris data from the face image; performingdetermination including determining whether the iris data is acquiredand determining whether quality of the iris data acquired is sufficientto be used for authentication; and determining whether the person isunsuitable for the iris data acquisition when the iris data is notacquired or when quality of the acquired iris data is determined to benot sufficient to be used for authentication.
 20. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium storing instructions therein which whenexecuted by a computer cause the computer to execute: receiving a faceimage; performing unsuitable-data determination of determining whetheriris data extracted from the face image is suitable for irisauthentication; when the iris data is determined to be unsuitable,performing an unsuitability-level determination of determining anunsuitability-level of the face image for the iris authentication usingthe iris data extracted from the face image, the unsuitability-levelindicated by an amount of an obstacle that covers an iris, and repeatingreception of a new face image, the unsuitable-data determination of thenew face image and the unsuitability-level determination of the new faceimage; when the unsuitability-level is determined to be unchanged,determining a person in the face image is unsuitable for iris dataacquisition by using the unsuitability-level of the face image and theunsuitability-level of the new face image; and outputting informationbased on determining that the person is unsuitable for the iris dataacquisition when the person is determined to be unsuitable for the irisdata acquisition.